Too many private equity firms are vastly underestimating their vulnerability to cyber attacks. With their response slow and dissonant they are being viewed as prey by increasingly sophisticated criminals.

As attacks have moved from major institutions, such as JPMorgan, to central banks and regulatory bodies, it has become clear that cyber crime will inevitably touch every corner of the financial industry. Yet, a sizeable proportion within private equity continues to believe that — in spite of the evidence — they are too small to be on any hacker’s radar.